1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Syncope

SYNCOPE (Gr. συγκοπή, a cutting up or short, from κόπτειν, to cut), a term used in grammar for the elision of a letter or syllable in the middle of a word (e.g. “ne'er” for “never”); and in medicine for the condition of fainting or shock (q.v.); and so occasionally in a general sense for a suspension or cessation of function. “Syncopate” and “syncopation” are analogous derivatives; and in music a syncopation is the rhythmic method of tying (A) two beats of the same note into one tone in such a way as to displace the accent.